Ring holder and method of forming same



Se t. 28, 1965 D. w. BRANNIES RING HOLDER AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed Jan. 2, 1964 INVENTOR. [DAN/EL WESLEY Bm/v/v/ss United States Patent 3,208,708 RING HOLDER AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Daniel Wesley Brannies, Huntington Park, Califl, assignor to Pacific Coat Hanger Company, a corporation of California Filed Jan. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 335,225 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-214) The present invention relates generally to coat hanger accessories, and more particularly to a ring holder that may be mounted on a horizontal rod to removably support a coat hanger having a head or ball at the upper ex tremity thereof.

It is commonplace in the structure of clothes closets to provide a horizontal rod that may be removably engaged by clothes hanger hooks. Also, such rods may be used to slidably support ring holders that are so constructed as to be removably engaged by the enlarged upper extremities of clothes hangers. However, one operational disadvantages of holders of this type is that they engage the enlarged portions of the hangers through initial movement of the hangers parallel to the supporting rod, which in a crowded closet is, in many instances, diflicult to accomplish.

A major object of the present invention is to provide an improved ring holder of simple structure, which is inexpensive to produce, durable, and one that will provide satisfactory service over a prolonged period of time.

Another object of the invention is to supply a ring holder with which the movement of the hanger relative thereto for engagement purposes is in a direction normal to the supporting rod, rather than parallel thereto.

A further object of the invention is to furnish an inexpensive and convenient method of forming a ring holder having the operational advantages above described by the use of simple and readily available mechanical equipment.

Yet still a further object of the invention is to provide a ring holder which eliminates certain of the operational disadvantages of previously available devices used for this purpose.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, and from the drawing illustrating the same, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the ring holder mounted on a horizontal rod and so positioned as to be engageable by the enlarged upper portion of a clothes hanger;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of a fiat stamped strip prior to the same being formed into the ring holder shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged end elevational view of the ring holder shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the ring holder shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the inter locking portions of the holder, taken on the line 5 5 of FIGURE 3.

With continued reference to the drawing for the general arrangement of the invention, it will be seen in FIGURE 1 that the ring holder A is mounted on a horizontal rod B, ready to engage and support a clothes hanger C having a ball or enlarged portion D on the upper extremity thereof. The holder A is fabricated from an elongate strip of a formable metallic material such as steel, aluminum, or the like, from one end of which a tongue 12 projects. A transverse slot 14 is formed in the second end of strip 10, as may best be seen in FIGURE 2.

A tear-shaped opening 16 is formed in the strip 10 intermediate the ends thereof (FIGURE 2), with the 3,208,708 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 transverse cross section of this opening being suificient to permit the ball D to be inserted therethrough. Opening 16 communicates with an elongate slot 18 that extends longitudinally along the strip 10. The width of the slot 18 is slightly greater than the diameter of an upwardly extending portion 20 of hanger C on which portion the ball D is mounted.

The strip 10 is subjected to a forming operation to transform the central portion thereof into first and second parallel legs 22 and 24, as may best be seen in FIGURE 3, that are connected on their lower ends by an arcuate web 26. The upper ends of legs 22 and 24 develop into two substantially semi-circular portions 28 and 30 respectively.

The tongue 12 is extended through the opening 14, and bent upon itself to assume the configuration of a U- shaped hook, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. In bending the tongue 12, one leg 12a of the U is deformed downwardly slightly below the first portion 28 to define a transverse body shoulder 28a at the junction of the tongue and first portion. The free end of portion 30 is in abutting contact with body shoulder 28a. After the tongue 12 has been bent to define the U-shaped hook which engages the slot 14, the upper leg 12b of the tongue overlies the adjacent end extremities of portions 28 and 30. Due to the fact that the free end of second portion 30 abuts against the shoulder 28a, and the positioning of upper leg 12b, the possibility of inadvertent separation of the second portion from the first portion is eliminated.

After the strip 10 has been bent to define the ring holder A (FIGURE 3), it is mounted on the rod B whereby the ball D may be inserted into the opening 16. Due to the weight of the hanger C, the ball D thereafter moves downwardly inside the two legs 22 and 24 to rest on the upper surface of the web 26. When the ball D is so supported, the hanger portion 13 extends downwardly through the slot 18. As can best be seen in FIGURE 3, the slot 18 continues downwardly through the first leg 22 across the web 26 and into the lower portion of the second leg 24.

In forming the ring holder A, a metal strip 10 as shown in FIGURE 2 is provided, which is capable of being permanently deformed, preferably by stamping, by the application of a substantial force. Strip 10 is then subjected to a sequence of forming steps in which the central portion thereof is transformed to define first and second legs 22 and 24, Web 26, and the two semi-circular portions 28 and 40. The tongue 12 may thereafter be bent to engage opening 14 and formed into the U-shaped configuration illustrated in FIGURE 3.

The legs 12a and 12b are so disposed that the free end of the semi-circular portion 30 is in abutting contact with the shoulder 28a, and this in combination with the over lapping position of the leg 12b, assures that there will be no movement of the semi-circular portions 28 and 30 relative to one another. Such relative movement, should it occur, could cause the holder A to bind on rod B or become dislodged therefrom.

The use and operation of the invention has been described herein in detail and need not be repeated.

Although the present invention is fully capable of achieving the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore mentioned, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment thereof and I do not mean to be limited to the details of construction herein shown and described, other than as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A holder capable of removably supporting a clothes hanger that includes a ball at the upper extremity thereof and an elongate portion of less thickness than said ball immediately therebelow, which holder comprises:

(a) a rigid strip of material that defines first and second laterally spaced parallel legs which are connected on their lower ends by an arcuate web, with the upper ends of said legs developing into first and a transverse body shoulder, and said tongue is capable of being formed into a U-shape to engage said slot in said end section to lock said semi-circular portions together, with the free end extremity of second semi-circular portions having internal diam- 5 one of said semi-circular portion-s being in abutting eters that are slightly greater than the diameter of a contact with said shoulder to prevent movement of horizontal rod on which said holder is to be supportsaid semi-circular portions relative to one another. ed, which first leg has an opening formed therein of greater transverse cross section than that of said ball, References Cited y the Examine! and a slot of greater width than said elongate por- 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS tion that extends downwardly in said first leg from I 1,154,319 9/15 Kennedy 248--61 iaggzpfiung to continue at least partially across said 1,527,832 2/25 Bragg 206 15 1 (b) means on the ends of said strip for holding said E semi-circular portions in an encircling position on 5 enne y said rod, which means includes a transverse slot FOREIGN PATENTS formed in an end section of one of said semi-circular 87 277 8/59 Denmark portions and a tongue projecting from the other of 101:154 1/63 Norway said semi-circular portions, which tongue and the semi-circular portion from which it projects defines 20 CLAUDE LE ROY, Primary Examiner 

